There is always more to it, than you can see
by SanoraL
Summary: Mia was so excited for her year in Australia, but she'll soon learn that she's leaving for a location that cannot be found on any atlas...   I'm having fun writing it, so I hope you'll have fun reading it!
1. Chapter 1

_**Hello guys This is my first fanfic and I really hope you'll enjoy it. I'd like to apologize for any mistakes in advance; I'm an au pair from Germany that live in the US, so English is still my second language ;)**_

_**I have a rough concept in my head for this story, but who knows what will happen, I might change it along the way. Have fun reading!**_

_**Sanora**_

**Chapter One **

_**The alarm that was never set**_

"Alright, that's it!" Mia sat straight up in her bed and groaned. How can those kids be so unbelievable loud? They are what? Seven years old? Or eight? Who knows…but they sounded like some college hooligans watching a soccer game! And that on a Sunday morning…

Wait a second…Sunday morning? Mia jumped out of bed. "Mum, what time is it?" She raced down the stairs and met her mother in the kitchen. She could barely hold her panic back. "It's 10 in the morning, honey. What's wrong?" asked her mother, still stirring the pancake dough. She looked at her daughter with a worried look.

"No, no, no, no….!" Mia started screaming. "This can't be happening to me! MUM!" She turned to face her mother. "My flight left like an hour ago! Without me!" She let herself fall onto the next chair and sighed frustrated. "How am I supposed to survive one year alone in a foreign country, if I can't even set my alarm clock to get up on time to actually catch the plane that's supposed to take me there?"

Her mother started laughing and Mia sent a glare her way. Her mother hid her face in her hands, but still couldn't stop laughing. "You see" she started, "I got an email last night, your flight time was changed to 3 o'clock this afternoon. I just didn't want to wake you up for that, since you were already fast asleep, so I turned off your alarm. But if I had known the whole thing would give you such a heart attack, I'd rather have woken you up." She started giggling again.

Mia's head landed on the table with a loud 'bang'. "Seriously, Mum… Maybe being one year alone will be better for my health…" And with that she started to leave the kitchen.

"Where do you think you are going? I'm almost done with the pancakes!" said her mother smiling.

"Shower…not really hungry right now…see you later…" mumbled Mia as she went for the stairs. "Oh and Mia? By the way, you really should remember setting your alarm. I didn't turn it off." And with a wink she put the pancakes on plates. "They'll be here on the counter if you change your mind." But Mia was already up the steps.

**Mia's POV**

This can't be happening to me. That's how my great year is starting? With a disaster? Oh what the heck. I'm not gonna let this little incident spoil all the fun.

And with that thought I stepped into the shower. Wow, a shower never felt that good. No, it wasn't for the warm water or anything like that. It felt so good, cause I knew it would be my last one in this particular shower for at least a whole year. If everything went after plan, I was to stay with a host family in Australia as an au pair. Taking care of their two kids, finding new friends and having the time of my life, at least that was what I hoped for.

I got out of the shower and dressed quickly. No matter how hard I tried, I just couldn't resist the thought of my mother's pancake waiting for me on the kitchen counter downstairs.

I savored every bite of them and when my mother told me that we had to leave for the airport in 30 minutes, I started feeling sad. I've been so excited for this trip since I got the 'yes' from my host family and it never occurred to me that my mother might not be as happy about the whole thing like me. We got into the car and when we left our driveway, I asked my mother "Mum, you did download Skype right? So we can talk? I'm taking my laptop with me, so you'll always hear the news first! "I'd turned in my seat to look my mother in the face, trying to see the reaction in her face. She just smiled. "Yes, I did sweetie. Don't you worry about me. I don't worry about you! Okay, a little bit…but I know that you always had a way to figure things out yourself! You're good on your own." She gave me a reassuring smile. "Sometimes even too good. Remember that day when I came to your school to pick you up and you weren't there? I totally panicked and called the police and everything, just to find out later that you decided you were old enough to walk home on your own!" She started laughing and so did I. Yes, she was right, I could take care of myself. Sometimes I did pretty stupid things, but I usually found a way out and learned my lesson.

I rolled down the window and my black hair flew in the nice breeze. My hair I got from my mother, soft black curls, that went down to the middle of my back. That's why I usually preferred to wear it in a ponytail. But my blue eyes I got from my Dad. He left us when I was 3. My mother never really spoke that much about him and we didn't really have any photos of him. But what was left of him, were books. Books in a foreign language that my mother has been teaching to me since I was 6. We sometimes even used it at home and it could be quiet confusing for my friends at some points.

Sometimes the thought of my father hurt, but most of the times I didn't even bother thinking about him. I knew that he came from somewhere far away and this 'somewhere far away' had to be more important than wife and kid. Since he went back there and left my mother and me behind. The strange thing though was, that my mother almost seemed to accept the fact, that we couldn't go with him back then. She never complained or anything like that. Could really give me a headache…

But enough of that.

That's the past and it's the future that I should be concentrating on.

In that exact moment I heard thunder and it started pouring. My mother cursed about the weather changing so abruptly and turned the wipers on. "Enjoy those raindrops, Mia, you won't have a lot of them in Australia!" Sure Mum, she could always joke. Even when we landed in a thunderstorm like that, where we could hardly see the road or anything else. Lightning cut through the grey sky and it got really dark. And I got nervous. "Mum…", I whispered. "Oh don't worry. Remember your physics class? The car is the safest place!", my mother tried to calm me down.

And that's when it happened. The tree on the side of the road got struck by lightning, right in the moment we passed it. I started screaming and so did my mother, sparks from the now burning tree taking away her sight of the road. There was smoke everywhere, my mother slammed on the brakes, the car sliding on the flooded street till it finally stood still. We both looked at each other, I saw pure horror in my mother's eyes and I started panicking. My mother was never scared! There had to be something wrong, seriously wrong. I tried to get out of the car, slamming into the door, till it finally opened. The moment my feet hit the asphalt they got soaked. By water that was freezing! It was June, this was supposed to be a summer storm, with warm rain. Me feet started to get numb from the cold pooling around them. I could hear my mother yelling for me. "Mia, get back in the car!", sheer fear in her voice. "But Mum, there's something wrong!"

That's when I heard a loud crack and everything went black.

_**Okay, I hope you enjoyed it! I'd be really happy, if I could get some reviews?**_

_**Everybody have a nice day! ;)**_


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! How was your Memorial Day Weekend? :)**

**The song I've listened to while writing this chapter:**

**Vanessa Carlton – "Paradise" 3 If you wanna listen to it ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own "Lord of the Rings". But I love it!**

**Chapter Two:**

_**This is not New Jersey**_

My eyes flew open.

And I immediately closed them again. The sky over me was a bright blue that made my eyes tear and sting. A bright blue… Where did the storm go? I slowly opened my eyes again, shielding them from the sun with my hands. I sat up and took in my surroundings. I was sitting in the middle of nowhere!

The car, the road and everything else was gone. I wasn't even close to the spot, where the lightning had struck the tree, for I couldn't recall ever having been to a meadow so huge, that you couldn't see an end to it. Grass everywhere! The air was filled with the smell of nature, but there were no trees. This wasn't North New Jersey, not at all. That left only one question… How the heck did I get here?

I got up and shrieked when my foot hit something. My suitcase! And my purse! So whoever had dumped me here at least left my belongings to me. I tried to recall what had happened. There was the thunder storm…but why had I been outside? I felt my head throbbing and instinctively started rubbing my temples. I was talking to someone…my mother! Where was she? Why wasn't she with me? We had been on our way to the airport. I bet I missed my flight.

Alright, I had to find someone who could tell me where the hell I was. I hung my purse over my shoulder, flipped out the wheels on my suitcase and dragged it with me.

" _I don't even have any idea where I'm going! North, south? Towards civilization or farther away?"_

I sighed…the irony was that I wasn't afraid of anything at that moment. I mean, besides getting a nasty sunburn from that blue sky. After walking for a while, I already got really thirsty and I remembered the water bottle in my purse. I stopped and sat on my suitcase, sipping water from the bottle, trying to sort my thoughts.

"_Okay, if I'm still in the US, it could take days till I would cross a road or a town, depending on where I am."_

That's when I realized, that the sun wasn't burning down anymore and was about to set behind the horizon.

"_I should probably start looking for a place to sleep…"_

I didn't want to stay out in the open like that, so I gathered my things and started walking towards a few bushes.

Suddenly I was aware of all the sounds around me. I couldn't recall ever having heard birds singing like that. And if I didn't know the birds, I had absolutely no idea of what else was surrounding me. Wild animals… I shivered. I was just scaring myself.

I got my little pillow and jacket out of my suitcase and lay down on the ground, trying to ignore the fact, that all kinds of insects were just waiting to crawl into my ears. I really had to stop that. Night was falling and the stars appeared. I had never seen the stars shining so bright. It was breathtaking. I didn't get that many chances to see the stars at home. We just have too many trees that are too tall. Sometimes on a cold winter night, the snow would reflect the starlight, but it still never had been as beautiful as now, right here under this night sky. That's when I realized that I couldn't find my favorite star constellation Big Dipper anywhere. That was strange. I turned on my side and closed my eyes. No need of giving away my well needed sleep, the bugs would eat my anyways, asleep or awake.

I woke with a sneeze. The sun was tickling my nose and I was glad it was still located in the middle of my face and not molten in this heat. It was burning hot. I wiped the sweat of my face and crawled out of my jacket to stand up and look around. The air was simmering (?) from the heat and I really felt like I had to change my clothes. I opened my suitcase and got a pair of shorts and a top out.

"_I'll probably end up as a tomato, but better than sweating to death…"_

I didn't know how far away I was from the next street, so who knew when I'd get another water bottle. I changed into the more comfortable clothes I picked and packed everything back in my suitcase and locked it up again. And where was the stupid sunscreen, for God's sake? I rummaged through my purse and was so caught up in it, that I didn't even realize the arrow that was pointing my way. Actually right on my back.

"Yikes!" I squealed and shot up as if I just got stung by a bee in my precious butt.

"Who are you?", asked a deep and smooth voice behind me. Even though I was scared by the stranger I couldn't ignore how appealing his voice was.

I slowly turned around and smiled. The stranger didn't only sound appealing.

"Hi," I smiled sweetly. "My name is Mia. And what's yours, Adonis?" I tried not to look at the arrow. Who had a bow and arrow these days?

All my attention was fixed on his beautiful face. He had piercing blue eyes and long blond hair, that was braided at the sides. His features were smooth and soft but unmistakenly masculine. Like heck.

He didn't smile back. "My name isn't Adonis." And with that he lowered the bow. He gestured to my belongings. "What is that box? I've never seen anything like it."

"_Wow, he's never seen a suitcase? Probably not the richest guy on earth. Just my luck!"_I thought while I was still smiling at him. He still had a weapon and I didn't.

"That, my friend, is a suitcase. You put your belongings in it, like clothes or stuff like that."

I kneeled down and wanted to open it, only to be pushed aside. I glared up at the strange guy, now it was his turn to smile.

"I already know what's in there, I just didn't know what it's called."

My face softened. "Oh, sure." I got back up. "Wait a moment…" My face twisted in anger, worse than before. "What do you mean by that? How could you know what's in there? Did you go through my stuff while I was asleep?" I was slowly raising my voice.

He just kept smiling at me. My knees started to go weak.

"No, my Lady, I merely observed you since you woke up." He said friendly, but I saw the mischievous sparkle in his eyes.

"I can't believe it!" I was yelling now. "You watched me getting changed! You creeper!" I poked him in his chest and tried to bring my face on the same height as his. I failed, but he got the message and took a step back.

"I didn't know you would decide to change garments in the middle of nowhere." He said calmly.

I glared at him. "I didn't know I had some pervert watching me! You should have made yourself known to me! I didn't even see or hear you!"

His smile was back. "You weren't paying attention.", was his simple answer. He reached for my suitcase and gave me my purse. "Let's go, we don't want the orcs to see you change, too."

With a pout I followed him without another word.

"_What did he say? Orcs? And what is he wearing? I kinda like those leggings, but really?" _I stopped in my tracks, which brought the stranger to a stop, too.

"Where are we?" I shot him a panicked look.

"In Middle Earth of course, my Lady." He answered me with confusion in his eyes.  
>I brought my hand to my mouth in shock.<p>

"_Middle Earth…Orcs… That's what my Dad's old books are about…" _Slowly realization trickled in and I let myself down on the ground.

The stranger kneeled down in front of me. "What is wrong?", his voice was full of concern.

I could only bring out one word.

"Elrond." My father's name.

Review if you wish! Enjoy the sunshine. And if you don't have any, let me know and I'll send you some, for I have plenty right now ;D

And thank you Abormal-Amy8D for my first review ever :) Ha ha ha, I just write down whatever pops up in my mind ;D

Sanora


	3. Chapter 3

**Alright, here's a new update and I can tell you, it was a fight. No, not because it was something complex to write, but I'm stuck in bed with a really nasty cold. I guess some wish I wouldn't have shared that, but here it is.**

**Thanks for the nice review, CountryGirl6699, I hope you like the new chapter **

**The song I've been listening to while writing :**

"**Fondu au noir" from 'Coeur de Pirate'**

**For those who don't wanna know, just skip that part. Ha ha, I know, too late ;)**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Lord of the Rings. **

**Sanora**

**Chapter Three:**

_**I'm a half-elf**_

I started crying. Could it really be? Could it be that I was in my father's so called 'somewhere far away'? Middle Earth, that's what all his books were about. And about all the living things in it. Dwarves, elves, men, hobbits, orcs and many more. When I first started reading those books, I couldn't stop laughing. I mean, seriously, dwarves? But the more I read, the more I could see, that whoever had wrote down all those stories, had put a lot of work in them. Different lines of different families were written down chronically over a few thousand years, there were whole books about how the elves used to live, where they came from and what might happen in the future, if it still was the future or already happened, I didn't know. But I started to take everything for full, every word. My fantasy was always very alive in my mind and here was the proof that there might be something else out there. Behind all the concrete, gas and dust. Something more beautiful und untouched. I always liked to believe that.

And the fact, that all of this was written in another language, that supposedly only my mother and me spoke, made the whole thing even more exciting.

And the name that was written in every book, right on the first page. I didn't had to ask my mother whose name it was, for she told me that those books used to belong to my father and that he had left them behind for me.

"But Mum, how am I supposed to read those…signs?" I had asked, still a little girl, open for everything.

My mother had laughed and ruffled through my hair. "I'll teach you, like your father taught me."

And that's what she did.

I totally forgot about the stranger, as I sat there on the ground, trying to find any sense in all of this. That was till he sat down next to me.

"You know Lord Elrond?", he asked without hesitation.

I turned my head to look at him. "I do and I don't." was my simple answer. I gasped at the sight of his ears, they were pointed. "You are an elf!", I squealed. "Oh my gosh, I can't believe it! It's all true, everything in the books is freaking true!"

He looked at me in confusion. "One should expect you to know about elves, if you know Lord Elrond himself."

"I told you I don't really know him," I whispered, "and I just found out that he's an elf thanks to you."

The stranger decided to not say anything to that.

I turned my full attention on him again. "What is your name, if I may ask?" I looked at him expectantly.

He sighed. "My name is Legolas, my Lady." He seemed a little uncomfortable to tell me this.

"Aaah,Legolas Greenleaf, son of Thranduil, prince of Mirkwood." I mused. "Oh gosh, "I bowed my head, "I'm sorry my majesty."

He started laughing. I mean, really laughing.

"Any chance I get an explanation for this burst of laughter?", I asked a little annoyed and added a "my Lord." as I remembered his title again.

He sat straight up again and smiled at me. "You don't know that Lord Elrond is an elf, but you know my full title?"

I glared at him. "It's not my fault that my father's books talk about everything else besides him!"

His face went from amusement to curiosity. "Your father? Lord Elrond is your father?"

I slammed my hand on my forehead.

"_Thank you, unstoppable tongue! And you too, stupidity!"_

"Yes." I tried to appear confident.

I guess I failed miserably, because his smile came back.

"You're lucky then. I'm on my way to Rivendell. Lord Elrond happens to be the Lord of Rivendell, so if you would like to join me...", he suggested.

"Yes!", I jumped up. "If it wouldn't be any trouble for you, my Lord."

He sighed again, "See, that's why I prefer to keep my name hidden. Forget about the whole prince thing. Please."

I smiled at him. His face softened. "And what is your name, my Lady?", he held out his hand to me, reaching for mine.

"Amelia, but everybody calls me Mia for short." He kissed my knuckles and my breath hitched for a second. He let go of my hand." Nice to meet you, Lady Amelia." He bowed his head.

"_Aaaaaahhhh, what am I doing? Is he flirting with me? No, my imagination. Just a proper greeting here." _I assured myself. _"But he's damn hot! And probably married. How does this saying go again? Men are like toilets, either taken or…no, I don't wanna think about that!"_

"If you forget about the 'my Lady' thing, Legolas." I said out loud. It felt weird how easy and beautiful his name rolled of my tongue.

"It's settled then." Legolas said and turned around, lifting up my suitcase again.

I followed him. "Are we walking there?" I was a bit worried, I liked taking a nice walk, but I wasn't really made for a day hike. Or more.

"No, only till we reach my horse. Another ten minutes I think." His voice was free of any exhaustion. Did I mention how heavy my suitcase was?

I decided to just follow him. _"Easiest way of not making a fool of me."_, I hoped.

But inside I was all excited. If it was right what he said, I was on my way to my father. After 18 years.

"And I'm a half-elf." I whispered, not seeing the smile on Legolas' lips.

**Review if you please. I hope you can't really read out the fever I'm having right now. Should lie down now and actually rest. Nighty night!**


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